Shooting skinheads: Derek Ridgers captures a cult – in pictures

Shooting skinheads: Derek Ridgers captures a cult – in pictures

Derek Ridgers – who has taken pictures of everyone from James Brown to Clint Eastwood – spent five years photographing skinheads in Britain between 1979 and 1984, documenting the controversial youth cult of the early Thatcher years. Here are some of the striking images from his new book Skinheads, complete with his own captions

Photographed in Billys, at 69 Dean Street, Soho 1979. This was my first encounter with any skinheads since the early 70s and Wally, the guy waving a fist, was the guy that persuaded me to hang out with them and take more photos. Photograph: Derek Ridgers

I entitled this photograph ‘Smiler’ since he’s got it written on his jacket. His real name was Wayne and his street name was Wally. In an email he informed me that he was 16 when I took this photograph in 1984. Photograph: Derek Ridgers